Dear KANERE Readers and Supporters,
It has been a year since the last issue of KANERE was published, but we are back again with strong determination and resilience despite constantly facing obstacles in terms of humanitarian funding. Most international donors have routinely or continuously funded International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) with little knowledge of programming and service delivery on the ground. Sadly, this has sidelined the funding of critical refugee-led media organizations, including KANERE. This is simply due to KANERE’s critical reporting that sheds light on the lack of accountability by humanitarian organizations, issues of fraud and corruption, and incidents of violent insecurity across refugee camps, exposing where camp authorities have failed.
Would there be any evaluation of the aspects of triple nexus over the work of KANERE’s reporting in the old Kakuma and Kalobeyei establishments over the fragile peaceful relationship between refugees and the host population?
Should KANERE able to expose the actions of international humanitarian donors and the unfair distribution of international monetary aid to refugee camps around the world – including Kakuma? These efforts are a top priority for KANERE in the year 2023. We welcome other refugee-led institutions, prominent centers of refugee studies and independent researchers to contribute knowledge and expertise on how distribution of donor funding could be achieved in more meaningful ways and to investigate whether and how refugee-led media organizations remain blocked from receiving international funding to provide services to refugee communities.
In December 2022, KANERE marked its fourteen-year anniversary of independent reporting and publishing about refugee issues in the East African region and beyond. The project has an ongoing aim to build strength in the face of hardships, including funding challenges and the deteriorating press freedom faced by journalists-in-exile in refugee camps.
Lastly, as the world’s displacement figure has reached one hundred million, we seek to ask world leaders to reaffirm international commitments to achieving peace, security, stability and humanitarian development, in pursuit of stopping world wars.
It is our hope that the displaced people around the world will find confidence and courage as the years ahead may prove to be tougher.
In peace and with solidarity to all displaced people around the world.
Santos Madhieu, Tolossa Asrat & Qaabata Boru
Kakuma News Reflector – KANERE’s Editorial Team